


Christmas Market Wonder

by TheRainbowFox



Series: Thasmin Week - January 19 [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Cute, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy, Humor, Nervousness, Pre Resolution, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Fluff, SOFT GAYS, Thasmin Week (Doctor Who), Thasmin Week 2019 (Doctor Who), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Useless Lesbians, Wonderful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 02:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17499542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRainbowFox/pseuds/TheRainbowFox
Summary: Having dropped the boys off back home for Christmas, the Doctor is left with just Yaz to drop off. But before she does, she has a question to ask. A big one. Spurred on by the ever meddlesome TARDIS, how will Yaz respond to the request? (Aka these two someone end up on a date)





	Christmas Market Wonder

**Author's Note:**

> Fic number two, and my god do I love fluff.  
> These two disasters deserve to be happy damnit!  
> As ever, prompts came from @thasminlover on tumblr  
> And, extra thanks to my girlfriend for giving me this idea based on her watching me at a Christmas market...
> 
> Enjoy!

Thasmin Week –  Prompt  Two – First Date

 

Anxious. When had she become such an anxious person? Her current regeneration had a lot to answer for, but her mind was elsewhere. The TARDIS hummed before letting out a short beep. The Doctor jumped, shaking her head.

 “What? Me? No, never. Okay maybe a little. But you need to remember, I’ve _never_ done this before. And River doesn’t exactly count…because you know how awkward and confusing that was until the end. Look. It’s fine. Everything will be fine. Maybe. Hopefully. Argh!”

 Hands rose up to cling to the sides of her face, pulling down with a groan. The Doctor pressed herself further against one of the glowing columns, eyes rising to the ceiling as the TARDIS let out a whine. To her, it was laughter, and she did not appreciate being laughed at by her mode of transportation. Before she could interject and cuss the TARDIS out, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hall. With a flurry of arms and legs, the Doctor positioned herself at the console and tried to remain inconspicuous as a familiar voice appeared.

 “So, I take it the boys have gone back home then?”

 Quickly turning around with a smile, the Doctor nodded and leant back against the console.

 “Yeah, they told me to say goodbye. Had to go sort some things out urgently before the holidays made it impossible. Or something. Not really sure on the details.”

 Yaz was a little annoyed that Ryan and Graham had gone off without waiting for her, especially considering she had just gone to get her scarf and gloves. Sheffield was apparently going through a cold snap, according to the TARDIS readings, and she wanted to be prepared for the short trek home. She walked over towards the Doctor, realising that the ship had stayed in one spot since the drop off. Which was unusual; normally the Doctor would already be parked near her block of flats, waiting for her to go.

 Neither of them said a word before the silence was broken by a yelp from the Doctor. One of the levers had fallen down into the small of her back, followed by a few short beeps from the Tardis. Yaz watched as the blonde’s face scrunched up as she accusingly looked up to the ceiling and muttered something she was unable to understand. As hazel-green eyes returned to her, the young woman suddenly felt very exposed.

 “Listen. I know I said I would take you home, and I will, there was just something I wanted to ask you before you go. Something I was going to ask anyway until _someone_ decided to butt in.”

 Over the course of their journeys together, Yaz had found herself getting used to the Doctor going into banter with the TARDIS. Or talking about her. Or getting lost in some unspoken conversation or argument with her. Although she was unable to understand the depth of what went on, sometimes she could pin an emotion to one of the many sounds or vibrations the ship made. Right now it felt as if there was some incredibly obvious in-joke she was missing out on.

 Slowly, the Doctor closed the gap between them, looking cautiously to one side and shuffling uncomfortably on the spot. The words were sitting there. On the edge of her tongue. Waiting for her to be brave.

 “Since Ryan and Graham aren’t here…and there’s just us…in this big blue box…”

 Yaz looked on with confusion, watching as the Doctor tucked her hair behind her ear, piercing sparkling in the warm glow of the console room. Placing her hands on her hips, the young woman sighed.

 “Doctor, considering I asked you to take me back to see my Nani, whatever you want to say to me really shouldn’t be that difficult.”

 

“YazIjustwantedtoknowifmaybeyouwouldliketogosomewherewithmejustthetwoofusbutit’sokayifyoudon’tbecauseIwilljusttakeyouhomeinsteadnoneedtobotherwithsillyold-”

 “DOCTOR!”

 

With another yelp and jump, the Doctor stopped and took a deep breath. She could feel both of her hearts racing and the TARDIS gleefully buzzing with laughter at her expense. A deep blush began to form across her cheeks as she took a step back and turned her head to the side in an attempt to hide. Yaz, however, was not accepting such an action and closed the gap back up and laughed.

 “M’sorry.”

 The apology was barely audible, but Yaz could tell it was there. She rested her hand against the Doctor’s right arm, fingers curling around the sleeve of her coat.

 “Try that again, but just a little bit slower. And maybe remember to breathe.”

 Closing her eyes, the Doctor winced as she turned her head back around and tried to concentrate on her words.

 “Yaz. Do you want to go somewhere, together, as in just us, maybe?”

 In the beat of silence, she slowly opened her eyes and looked down to see Yaz smiling. Whilst also looking taken aback. Drawing her shoulders up, the Doctor tried another method of hiding away by shrinking herself down. Little flashbacks of the time her companion’s mother had questioned her rose up in her mind, only increasing her unease. Back then she had tried to play the whole thing off under the guise of being awkward, but had really been pretty disappointed at the response. Trying to dial everything back proved to be futile as well, and the Doctor wondered if Ryan and Graham were somehow clued in on how closer the two were becoming slowly.

 Yaz could feel her face heating up, trying to ignore her body’s reaction to the whole scene in front of her. Her rational mind tried to argue that the Doctor was just being friendly, that any other meaning she might be finding didn’t exist. But she still found herself hoping. Ever since she had ‘introduced’ the Doctor to her mom, he had been praying that she would leave the questioning alone. Of course, she didn’t, leaving Yaz to feign that nothing was going on and the two were just friends. Which was true…but the young woman wanted desperately for there to be more. Heart over head, it was always the Doctor.

“Yeah, of course. I’d like that.”

 Straightening out and beaming with joy, the Doctor jumped up on the spot before dashing over to the console, coat swishing behind her. She began to dance around the console, fingers dancing over buttons and pulling levers before she paused. Her head appeared around the central column, still blushing.

 “Great! Brilliant! Time with Yaz! Although there’s one problem…I didn’t exactly count on you agreeing to come with me and I never really got any further in planning what to do…I’m such a mess.”

 Even though she was impossibly old, by human standards at least, Yaz never failed to be amused at how often the Doctor had the attention span of a five year old. All the knowledge in the universe was no match for her scattered brain and ability to hop seamlessly from one idea to the next without pause. Walking over to the console, the young woman pondered for a moment before looking at the screen that appeared before her. The TARDIS hummed louder as the Doctor rounded the console to join her companion.

 “I think the old girl is giving you the choice. Which is only fair, I do keep whisking you off to the most random of places in the universe. Well, she does. Okay, we both do. So, go ahead. Where do you want to have this day out?”

 Yaz thought for a moment; if she could go and take the Doctor anywhere, where would she go? What would keep her entertained? She wracked her brains before feeling the TARDIS brighten and set off, all on her own. Clinging on to whatever surface of the console she could find, Yaz stared at the Doctor, who was also holding on as if her life depended on it.

 “I guess you must’ve thought of something she liked the sound of. I do wish she would keep out of people’s heads but there you go; law unto herself.”

 

As the TARDIS settled once more, Yaz looked at the screen that had flickered to life at her new location. Out of all the places she had thought of, and there had been many, this was one she enjoyed the idea of the most. A wide smile spread over her face as she pulled way from the console. She just hoped that the Doctor would find it enjoyable. The blonde waltzed over, almost catching sight of the screen before it vanished, causing her to pout and cross her arms over her chest.

 “Oh come on! That’s just not fair.”  
  
”Doctor, you do know you can just go out of the doors, right?”

 For a moment, there was silence, until the light bulb moment occurred. The Doctor jumped up and grabbed her companion’s hand before running to the doors.  
  
”RIGHT! Yes! Come on Yaz, I wanna see where we’ve ended up. Oh I’m so excited!”  
  
Without any time to protest, Yaz found herself dragged out through the TARDIS doors and into the cold winter air. She was very glad to have prepared herself in advance, but she still felt the sting of cold wind to her cheeks. The Doctor finally stopped. Even from her sidewards glance, Yaz could tell that her eyes had lit up like the stars as she let out a gasp.

* * *

 

The TARDIS had dropped the pair of them off in a small street, just a short distance away from a very extravagant looking market. The main street was lined with rows of wooden huts, all decorated with fairy lights and holly wreathes. The ground itself was glistening with frost, and the roofs had patches of snow here and there. What looked like hundreds of people bustled from stand to stand, all lost to the wintery charm. Cinnamon and smoky scents filled the air, mixing with a strange combination of sweet and savoury foods. Underneath the dark night sky, the scene was picturesque.

 Yaz took her place in front of the Doctor, hands in her pockets and looking up at her with hopeful eyes. Nudging at her with her elbow, she tried to get her attention.

 “Guess the TARDIS saw me thinking about Christmas markets. Looks like a pretty good one to me. Wanna go explore?”

 The Doctor finally tore her gaze away from the wonders before her, looking at Yaz with the brightest smile the young woman had ever seen. Almost vibrating with excitement, the Time Lord quickly enveloped her companion in a strong hug.

 “Yasmin Khan, this is perfect.”

 In an unusual display of physical affection, the Doctor rested her head atop her companion’s, sighing with content. Yaz, meanwhile, found herself burying her face into the Time Lord’s shoulder. Today she smelt of petrichor. Parting from the warm embrace was a little sad, but was soon replaced with joy once more as the Doctor held out her hand.

 As Yaz pulled her hand out of her pocket, she hesitated. Normally, holding the Doctor’s hand meant danger. That they had to run from something. Or stick together to avoid danger. It was never a casual thing. Having the opportunity to do it without fear was fearmongering in and of itself. Noticing the hesitation, but simply choosing to ignore it, the Doctor took her companion’s hand and pointed towards the market.

 Weaving in and out of the crowds of people, Yaz guided the Doctor along in a vague attempt at keeping her in one location. Otherwise, it was apparent that the Time Lord would be running around and never be seen again. The first few stalls were full of various hand-made items; glasswork, pottery, woodwork, even some animals made out of scrap metal.

 “Some of these things are really nice. What do you think, Doctor?”

 Turning her head around, Yaz saw that the Doctor was staring at something in particular. Hazel-green eyes were focused on some of the metalwork displays. On the table sat an array of candle holders, some of which were already lit. The flames were causing the upper most portions to slowly spin around. Decorated with cherubs, snowflakes, one even had reindeer going around, they were a very common yet beautiful novelty. Yaz remembered one of her friend’s parents having one above their fireplace whenever it was Christmas time.

 The holiday wasn’t particularly celebrated in Yaz’s household, considering her religion, but she had been to visit friend’s houses over the winter and remembered being amazed at all the decorations. She began to wonder what Ryan and Graham would be up to for the holidays. Coming out of her thought, the young woman was surprised to see that the Doctor was still staring at the candle holders, as if under a trance.

“Yaz, these are so pretty. Aren’t they just amazing? The hot air coming from the candle’s flame changes the air pressure around the top half, the carousel, causing it to spin around. The laws of thermodynamics, making magic happen before our eyes.”

 Only the Doctor could make such a trivial thing sound like the most amazing creation to exist. It was one of the many ways that Yaz felt her heart grow full. She could listen to the blonde talk about science and space and time for hours. Under no circumstances did it ever get old or boring. After staring for enough time to get the stall’s owner to ask a question, the Doctor straightened herself up and apologised. She quickly turned around, facing the market, still brimming with excitement.

 On the other hand, Yaz found herself getting distracted by her stomach aching. The last time she had eaten was breakfast, having spent the morning and afternoon mentally preparing for going home. The Doctor seemed to pick up on her hunger and began to walk off towards the centre of the market.

 “Oh, I wonder what kinds of food they have here. Everything smells so good, I can’t work it all out.”  
  
Yaz shook her head as she walked, eyes scanning across the many stall signs.  
  
”Places like this normally always have awful things like burgers and hotdogs. Or, it looks like there’s some European food stands. And the obligatory waffles and ice cream.”

 Most of the people around were crowded between the few beer stands, making it very difficult to move around for a few meters. Yaz was convinced she was going to be torn away from the Doctor, but the grip remained strong and resolute. As they broke free of the masses, the pair headed around the stalls and pondered their options. The Doctor, as expected, was having great difficulty deciding on anything. Her mind kept wandering off from one option to the next and Yaz was having a hard time keeping track.

 

Eventually, it was agreed that Yaz would make the decision. The Doctor wandered off to a small seating area that was underneath a heat lamp and sighed as the warmth hit her. Despite always saying that being cold was something that never happened, she was regretting not coming out in warmer clothing. Sure, she wore layers, but the cold wind was still bitter. Clasping her hands together, she furiously rubbed them together, just to get some feeling back in her fingertips. As her eyes lifted up, the Time Lord caught sight of her companion and waved her over.

 Yaz noticed the frantic waving and rolled her eyes, carrying the full tray over and taking a seat besides the Doctor. She may have ‘borrowed’ the tray from elsewhere, but was sure nobody would mind. There was a lot to take over. Gently placing the tray down on the table, the young woman looked over to watch the Doctor thoroughly inspect everything.

 “Whatcha got here then, Yaz?”

 “Nothing too exciting I’m afraid. Asked really nicely if I could just…get the curry sauce from the currywurst on some chips. Can’t eat pork, and didn’t really fancy anything else. But I got us a couple of hot chocolates, and one of those huge waffles to share. If you want. I know how much you really love sugar sometimes.”

 Suddenly, Yaz found herself to be quite warm. She wondered if it was the proximity to the heat lamp, but as her eyes met with the Doctor’s own, something began stirring inside. The more she thought about it, the worse the sensation got. Hands awkwardly fumbled with one of the plastic forks, eyes quickly dropping to the tray of chips. Sooner or later, one of them was going to ask a question, and Yaz was becoming convinced it would have to be her.

 The Doctor picked up the second fork, eagerly jabbing at the chips until she had skewered a generous amount. If her companion said it was good, then she would try it and agree. And agree she did. Humming into her mouthful, the Time Lord shuffled around on the bench. Definitely a good idea to get warm food. Even better to get something with a kick of spice. Heat travelled down into her stomach and brightened her face.  
  
”Yaz! Oh, I knew you’d pick something good.”

 As the compliment hit, butterflies began to form in her stomach. Yaz was used to the Doctor complimenting her in various ways, although again, normally when under pressure and unable to think clearly. It had just become part of an unspoken routine. Something that happened on most adventures. Half the time she was waiting for Ryan to start snickering in the background. He was well aware that Yaz was having some…Emotional conflicts.

 It didn’t take long before the chips were all gone. Having found herself lost in thought more times than she could recall, Yaz was more than happy to let the Doctor have the majority share. With her stomach doing backflips, it was difficult to keep food down. Discarding the fork into the empty tray, she took the opportunity to wrap her hands around one of the mugs of hot chocolate. For extra few pounds, she was able to get one of the fancy designs, and could get her money back if the Doctor didn’t want to run off with the mug.

 “I wasn’t entirely sure on your alcohol stance, so I played safe and got you a plain hot chocolate. But you can try a bit of mine, if you want.”

 Having not entirely thought the statement through, and suddenly realising what she had just said, Yaz felt her eyes widen as the Doctor expectantly leant over towards her.

 “If you insist. You even covered them in whipped cream, fantastic!”

 The Doctor placed her hands around her companion’s, pulling the mug closer to her face and taking a moment just to enjoy the smell. She could tell there was something different about the drink, but it just felt warm and inviting. Lips made contact with the mug, nose dipping slightly into the whipped cream as she took a sip. As the Time Lord closed her eyes, Yaz felt as though she forgot how to breathe.

 

_‘Okay…this is way too cute…no, just, calm down. She’s your friend. Nothing else. Even if you are having a bit of a panic right now.’_

 

With another hum of approval, and pulling away with a smile, the Doctor looked at Yaz with confusion. She was staring.  
  
”What? Was I not supposed to do that? Can I just say though, that’s some fantastic hot chocolate.”

_‘Yaz…earth to Yaz, you’re being asked a question. Stop daydreaming.’_

 Opening her mouth slightly, the young woman shook her head as she gently pulled the drink back towards her to place back on the table. Her eyes were focused solely on the small blob of cream stuck to the Time Lord’s nose.

 “No, no. It’s just…you, uh…”

 She pointed towards the Doctor’s nose.

 “What?”

 Hazel-green eyes travelled down, crossing slightly as the Doctor tried to look at wherever Yaz was pointing. Noticing that the Time Lord was somehow completely oblivious to something being on her face, Yaz leant forward and pressed the tip of a cold finger onto the cream. As realisation dawned and face fell into an ‘oh’, the young woman pulled back, taking the cream with her.

 “You had a little something on your face.”

 

As a beat of silence fell between them, Yaz noticed she now had a problem. In her haste, she had forgotten to pick up any napkins. Which meant she either had to wipe the cream on her trousers or-

 “DOCTOR!”

 Her voice flew up an octave as the Doctor leant forward and swiftly licked the cream from her finger. All while feigning a look of pure innocence. Yaz was convinced that there was no way the blonde acted without thought. It was impossible. Nobody could be that unaware of social norms. And yet, the continued expression of confusion was filling her with doubt.

 “Can’t let good food go to waste now, can we? I mean, there’s still loads left on your drink AND I have a mountain on mine too.”

 Confusion being replaced with another smile, the Doctor took hold of her own drink, taking a moment to inspect the mug itself.

 “Oh hey! I didn’t know they came in different types. Look at this snowman. Oh, and you have Father Christmas. Did I ever tell you about the time I met him? Nice guy. Other me’s didn’t like him too much but I think he’s cool. Told him he could borrow the TARDIS if he needed to. She wasn’t too happy about that thought. Are you alright Yaz? Is the heat lamp getting too much for you?”

 Averting her gaze and quickly taking the mug in her hands, Yaz took a long drink of liquid courage. Sure, there was only one shot of Baileys in there, but it was enough to distract her from what had just happened. The amount of mixed signals going on was driving her to distraction, and apparently to drink too. With the mug back on the table, desperately trying to lick the cream from her face from behind one hand, Yaz sighed. She had to ask.

 Her head fell back slightly, eyes turning to look up at the night sky.

 “No, I’m fine, it’s just…

 Her words got stuck as she turned her attention back to the Doctor.

 “What is this?”

 Shuffling on the bench and moving herself closer, the Doctor furrowed her brows as she pondered over the question.

 “What’s what?”

 Yaz gestured between the two of them.

 “This. This whole…you said you wanted some time together. Just us. And I’m not sure if you realise how that can come across in two vastly different ways. Like. Is this a mates thing. Or…”

 Silence. Yaz groaned, hiding her face in her hands with a silent scream, begging the Doctor just to finally click on what she was getting at.

 “Or did you somehow manage to ask me out and not realise it.”

 Her words were muffled into her hands, barely a whisper. Despite feeling more embarrassed than she had ever felt in her life, Yaz was surprisingly proud of herself for daring to ask such a question.

 “Oh. Well. I mean. I thought I kinda already did ask you out. You know? Okay, maybe that part got list in translation because I did end up just rambling about it and not breathing which is something I really should stop doing but I just can’t help it.”

 Two pale hands came to rest on her shoulders, urging Yaz to come out from hiding. As she did so, eyes locked together and held their gaze.

 “So…it’s up to you Yaz. I’d rather give you the option to decide. Again. Because you make way better decisions than I can. We can call this a mate’s date, just friends hanging out…or…you know.”

 

As the Doctor became at a loss for words herself, Yaz smiled. She had already made up her mind months ago. She had just been too scared to do anything about it, And now she was given an opportunity to define things, everything made sense.

 “Doctor, this is the best date I’ve ever had.”

 “Oh. Brilliant.”

 Laughing to herself, Yaz lifted a hand up to tuck the Doctor’s hair behind her ear.

 “Come on, we still have to finish our drinks. And try and have a go at that waffle. Which is probably cold by now but I honestly don’t care.”

   Taking her hands back and reaching for her own hot chocolate, the Doctor took a swipe of her own cream and spotted it against her companion’s nose before quickly removing it with a kiss. Her eyes danced in delight as she watched Yaz blush and get even more flustered. Oh, she was going to have a lot of fun finding all the ways to mess with her. But until then, she was just going to enjoy the moment.

 “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. Now then, tell me more about dessert.”

 Rolling her eyes, Yaz reached down for the previously used fork. Out of all the ways she had pictured her first date with the Doctor, this one was certainly the best.


End file.
